Irish get their super star receiver

SAN ANTONIO, Texas – Kansas City (Mo.) Rockhurst four-star receiver D.J. Hord was one of the few players at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl that had some suspense around his decision. Hord finally made up his mind late on Thursday evening when his coach, Tony Severino, and his family came down to San Antonio. The decision was a tough one for him to make, but in the end he had to follow his heart and his head.

Hord, the top player in the state of Missouri is heading to Notre Dame. Hord said in the end Notre Dame's academics won him over.

"I wanted to make sure that an education was the No. 1 thing, and at Notre Dame I will get the best education around," Hord said. "You can't beat the combination of both academics and football that you're going to get at Notre Dame. I'm excited about the style of offense that they're going to bring in there."

Hord, who is 6-foot-1 and 195 pounds, visited Kansas State, Notre Dame and Wisconsin befre finally announcing his decision moments ago at the All-American Bowl. The nation's No. 11 receiver, Hord was a two-time all-metro pick in Kansas City.

In 2003, he had 28 receptions for 668 yards and 10 touchdowns.